U.S. troops return to back up Iraqis

Sectarian attacks challenge security in areas that had been handed over

ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press

Published 5:30 am, Tuesday, April 11, 2006

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - U.S. soldiers have again hit the streets of dangerous neighborhoods in western Baghdad that had been handed over to Iraqi forces, trying to keep a lid on sectarian attacks that have raged since the February bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra.

The U.S. military has refocused its mission to confront death squads that have tortured and killed hundreds, a tacit acknowledgment that Iraqi troops have not been able to control violence between Shiites and Sunnis.

"Iraqi security forces can control large acts, but you can't be everywhere at once. It's like serious crime in the U.S. How do you prevent someone in Houston from going into someone's house?" asked Capt. Matt Brown of Eau Claire, Wis.

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Fewer attacks are now directed against Americans, soldiers say.

At the same time, the number of Iraqis found slain, apparently in tit-for-tat killings by Shiite and Sunni extremists, has sharply increased in western neighborhoods such as Shula and Ghazaliyah.

The return of more U.S. forces to the area just over a month after they left has tested relationships with Iraqi soldiers, however.

"To be perfectly honest, they were a little (angry) that we came back into their sector," said 1st Lt. John Ford of Houston. "It's getting to a point where they don't want or need us. It's unfortunate because we have a lot of assets to bring to the table."

After a few days of tension, life appears to have pressed on as normally as possible in these areas, soldiers say. Shops are open and pedestrians crowd market streets — but bodies also have steadily appeared during their patrols.

"It's random. You'll see them on major roads and on alleys," Brown said of the roughly 30 bodies his unit has found. On March 8, 18 strangled men were found stuffed inside an abandoned minibus in a nearby neighborhood.

Since early March, Brown and soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry have conducted daily foot and vehicle patrols that usually last 12 hours per day.

"It's not that our combat power is necessary. It's just adding to the perception of security," Brown said. "It puts the people at ease."